: Netherworld Feast

2025-04-26 Author: Gu Zhenren

: Netherworld Feast

Ning Zhuo turned around and left without looking back.

The old steward watched his retreating figure, wanting to scold him, but the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back forcefully.

"This pockmarked boy is a bit strange. Could he have connections and not fear us?"

"Otherwise, how could he be so arrogant?"

The old steward pondered, sensing that the situation might be deeper than it seemed, and decided to hold back his anger for now, opting to investigate this person first.

Ning Zhuo returned to the dining hall, attracting many gazes.

Sun Lingtong, inconspicuously crouched in the corner, continued eating his meal. He had been closely monitoring Ning Zhuo’s departure and return.

If anything unusual happened, he would be the first to intervene.

After sitting down, Ning Zhuo was captivated by the spiritual food before him.

*Vermilion Soul Jelly.*

It was a translucent crimson square cake, its surface inscribed with large arrays of spells, seemingly from the "Yin Nurturing Scripture."

When Ning Zhuo ate it, he initially tasted nothing, but then a mix of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors surged all at once, making him grimace and struggle to adapt.

However, these complex and intense flavors quickly dissipated, like a lamp extinguishing after death—all emotions washed away by wind and rain.

Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy.

*Reincarnation Black Algae Roll.*

This spiritual dish was made by wrapping yellow bean skins around netherwater algae.

Ning Zhuo took a small bite and found the texture terrible. The bean skin was dry and tasteless, like layers of talisman paper, while the algae was unbearably salty, making him want to spit out his tongue!

*Branded Ribs.*

The ribs were charred black and heavy as iron. As soon as Ning Zhuo picked them up, he felt a stinging sensation in his soul.

He tried to take a bite, but the meat was extremely tough, requiring great effort to chew off a few pieces.

After chewing for a while, a strong burning sensation enveloped his body and mind, causing immense suffering.

The main course was a bowl of *Tongue-Pulling Knife-Cut Noodles*.

The tongues were incredibly fresh—so fresh that they were still wriggling, licking, and curling in the bowl.

When Ning Zhuo tried to eat one slice, he felt the tongue thrashing wildly in his mouth, as if unwilling to be consumed.

After he finally managed to chew it, the sauce contained within the tongue intensely assaulted his taste buds, so sour it was downright outrageous.

After finishing one slice, Ning Zhuo found it hard to continue, feeling as if all his teeth were about to fall out from the acidity.

The lunch at the Hidden Yang Residence was truly indescribable.

Ning Zhuo fared relatively well, but the others who arrived with him made complete fools of themselves, drawing ridicule from many male consorts and providing quite a spectacle.

"Hahaha, newcomers, you still have a lot to learn."

"If you can’t even eat a meal properly, what else can you do?"

"Get lost and go back early, so you don’t embarrass yourselves here!"

One person, indignant, tried to use his magic power to suppress the spiritual food in his mouth to stop it from causing trouble. However, he was immediately spotted by a nearby paper servant, who whipped him without hesitation.

The paper servant sternly declared, "These spiritual foods were painstakingly crafted by our City Lord’s Mansion at great expense."

"You must not use magic power to contaminate these spiritual foods, causing immense waste."

"If you can’t even eat a meal properly, you might as well leave early!"

The male cultivator who was whipped flushed red but could only endure silently, not daring to use even a trace of magic power again.

Ning Zhuo also worked hard, opening his mouth wide and swallowing continuously.

His efforts were driven by the realization that although these spiritual foods tasted indescribable and were sometimes difficult to chew and swallow, their effects were remarkable.

By the time he finished lunch, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his soul foundation had increased to 220 times that of an ordinary person!

"Just one lunch, and it increased this much."

"If I stay here for a while, I could rapidly increase my soul foundation just by eating. It might even be possible to break through the thousandfold mark!"

After lunch, most of the male consorts left the dining hall, leaving only Ning Zhuo and the other newcomers.

Sun Lingtong walked over from the corner and communicated via divine sense: "I just spoke with some other ghost race servants and found out that their masters often bribed the old steward after arriving here."

"Especially since we’re newcomers, the type of residence we’re assigned is quite crucial."

"Should we follow their example and try to get a bigger place to live?"

The male consorts were mostly human, with very few ghost race members. There was a deep divide between newcomers and old-timers, and the atmosphere was far from friendly.

However, the ghost race members were quite amiable among themselves, treating each other warmly and offering plenty of help and advice.

"I also have some news to tell you..." Ning Zhuo briefly explained his conflict with the old steward to Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong was curious: "Little Zhuo, based on your personality and your usual saying that 'a little impatience spoils great plans,' why would you care so much about a little money and not bribe him? Do you have another idea?"

"You know me well, Boss," Ning Zhuo praised.

Then he slowly explained his reasoning: "White Paper Immortal City is facing internal and external troubles. After all, we’re using fake identities. If we’re exposed, it’ll be hard to explain. What if we’re mistaken for spies sent by the City Overthrow Alliance? That would be disastrous."

"Our top priority now is to gather intelligence."

"Second, we should try to blend in and not stand out too much."

"As for bribes, we can act according to the situation in the future."

Sun Lingtong immediately understood Ning Zhuo’s thoughts: "You mean, among so many male consorts, there might be people from the City Overthrow Alliance?"

"That makes sense."

"The White Paper City Lord needs yang energy for cultivation. Her condition is crucial for White Paper Immortal City to survive this ghost tide—it’s the key to everything!"

"If the City Overthrow Alliance wants to overthrow the White Paper City Lord’s rule, they definitely won’t sit idly by. It’s highly likely they’ve planted agents among the male consorts."

"So, we shouldn’t draw attention. Just act average."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "If we can deduce the City Overthrow Alliance’s actions, there’s no reason the higher-ups of White Paper Immortal City wouldn’t anticipate it."

"But what’s strange is that there was almost no screening process for us to become male consorts."

"This is likely a trap set by the White Paper City Lord. Given the unfavorable situation, it’s better to stay on the sidelines."

After discussing, the two decided not to worry about getting a good residence.

"Follow me. I’ll show you around. Remember the places well so you don’t get lost later."

"Let me be clear upfront."

"There are strict rules here. Don’t wander around recklessly. If you cause trouble, you’ll bear the consequences yourselves!"

Two paper servants appeared before the group, issued this warning, and then led them out of the dining hall to tour the various areas.

The Hidden Yang Residence had many buildings and facilities.

There were a paper servant training ground, a netherworld kitchen, a dining hall, a soul-cleansing bathhouse, a tranquility pavilion, a library, a garden of diminished desires, a yang-locking shadow wall, and more, catering to the cultivation, daily life, and social needs of the many male consorts here. It was quite comprehensive.

The tour wasn’t just a cursory glance. They took turns trying out each facility, ensuring everyone learned how to use them.

By the time the tour ended, it was already evening.

Ning Zhuo and the others returned to the dining hall for dinner.

The dinner was even more unpalatable than lunch, but after consuming it, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation increased by another 30 times, making the effects even better than at noon.

After most people had dispersed and only the newcomers remained in the dining hall, the old steward reappeared.

"Room A-1, Jiao Ma!" the old steward announced, assigning the best room directly to Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong: ?!

(End of )